The Mutant Witch
by giftedgirl10592
Summary: Julie Summers is a member of the wizarding world and a mutant. Her parents were killed when she was a toddler. Her destiny is intertwined with the war in among the dark arts and the mutant crisis going on in the world. When she is outed as a mutant, her life changes drastically.
1. Chapter 1

Julie Summers bolted upright in her bed, having woken from the same nightmare she had had since she was a toddler. Sweat, plastered her long, dark brown hair to her face and her palms were wet and sticky. She wiped away the tears that had begun to form, but it didn't help much.

Light filtered in through a crack in the curtains around her bed. Throwing the curtain open, she winced at the sunlight, not expecting it to be so bright. When the light adjusted, Julie panicked when she saw all the other beds empty and made.

Julie threw herself out of the bed, grabbing the clothes she had laid out the night before, and bolted for the dormitory bathroom. The clock on the wall told her she did not have time to shower. After getting dressed in the uniform black skirt, white button up shirt, and red sweater vest, she threw her hair into a bun, put on the most basic make-up and slipped into her black flats. She ran back in to the main room and grabbed her pack. On her way out of the common room she rolled her sleeves up and rolled her skirt twice-just because she was in a rush she wasn't going to look a complete dork.

The Great Hall was no longer full; only lingering students remained and not a lot of food was left on the tables. Julie spotter Harry, Ron and Hermione and went and sat next to Ron. She immediately stuffed a piece of sausage in her mouth, followed by a piece of toast.

"Glad to see you finally woke up," Hermione said. She filled a goblet with orange juice and placed it before Julie. "Slow down, you've still got ten minutes."

After downing the orange juice, Julie said, "How could you let me sleep so late? Especially when we have an exam in Potions this morning?"

"I am not your mother," Hermione said. "I am not responsible for you getting to school on time. You should be able to take care of yourself by now. Besides, you were having a bad dream and remember what happened to Susan?"

"Wait," Harry said, looking up from his copy of the Daily Prophet, "you broke Susan's nose? I thought she ran into a door."

"I didn't mean to!" Julie exclaimed. "She tried to wake me up and I guess my subconscious went into self defense mode. I don't know. It was an accident."

"Bloody hell," Ron said.

"I won't ever take that chance," Hermione said. "I am not making a visit to Madame Pomfrey and risk missing class."

Julie took one final sip of water before standing and putting her pack over her shoulder. "Well then, let's go before we miss this examination. Professor Snape would love to lock us out for being tardy."

"I'm sure he would like to lock us out of his classroom forever," Ron said. He was starting to have another growth spurt, putting him at eye level with the top of Julie's head. "Have you showered Julie?"

Julie's face turned bright red and she immediately put her hands over her head. "I didn't have time!"

Hermione slapped Rob on the back of the head. "You don't say things like that, Ron."

"I was just asking," Ron said.

Julie hurried into the stairwell leading to the dungeon, leaving the three behind. She slipped into the classroom and sat in front of one of the empty spots in the front of the classroom. Professor Snape stood at the front, waiting for the hour to start. He looked at her with an unreadable expression and she smiled at him.

None of the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry knew that Professor Snape was Julie's uncle, brother to her mother. He had taken care of her after her parents death, but when it was time for her to start schooling, she was given private lessons and tutors, traveling around the world. When it was time for her to attend Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore made her promise to not tell her relationship to the potions master. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be nice to him.

Harry, Ron and Hermione slid into the spots next to her, to which Professor Snape pulled his sleeves down, signaling he was ready to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

At the end of the hour, after the exam, the class was released. Julie was walking out when a hand rested on her shoulder. Professor Lupin pulled her aside, to which all the students passing "ooed," as if she were in trouble.

"What's up professor?" Julie asked.

"If you'll follow me inside, please." He waited for the last student to come out before entering the potions classroom. He walked up to Professor Snape's desk, where Julie's uncle seemed to be waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Julie sensed there was something big going on.

"Last night, Professor Dumbledore informed us that a powerful mutant and an alumnus to the school will be on school grounds today." Professor Lupin ran a hand through his hair nervously. "We aren't sure why he's coming, but we have a feeling it has something to do with you."

"Really?" Julie asked. "I didn't think anyone knew I was here."

"Regardless," Julie's uncle said, "it is important you try to stay away from this man."

"Why?" Julie asked. "Uncle, I've never met another mutant before! Maybe I could ask him a few questions, just talk to him for a bit."

"No," Snape said firmly. "Professor Dumbledore is meeting with him as a favor. He is a bad man, Julie. Do not approach him. Do not speak to him. Not only is this an order from the headmaster, but I, as your uncle and legal guardian, am forbidding you from meeting him."

"Julie," Professor Lupin said, taking the good cop side, "we understand your curiosity, but we are trying to protect you. He may try to provoke you and expose your abilities, and we are not sure what would happen."

"I still don't understand what the deal is," Julie said. "My powers aren't that off from magic."

"It's not fair, but it's for the same reason we haven't revealed ourselves to the muggle world. The discrimination could isolate you severely."

Julie sighed. Arguing hadn't done any help in the past, it wouldn't do any good here. "Fine. I won't go looking for, talk to, or even look at this guy. Alright?"

"Good," Snape said. "Now, go on. Professor McGonagall knows you're going to be late to her class."

Julie left the room, leaving the two professors alone.

"I still think we should have told her," Lupin said.

"It would not have done any good. She would go after him. And we're not sure it was him." Snape took in a deep breath. "Believe me, I am far from happy he is here. For his sake, I hope he is innocent, because I will have no problem killing him."


	3. Chapter 3

After Transfiguration class, Julie had a study session. She spent that time grabbing a quick shower. She created a powerful gust of win and used it to dry her hair. Technically, she wasn't supposed to use her powers, but she didn't mind sneaking.

She had Herbology before lunch. Thankfully she had Neville as her partner so he helped her with what she didn't understand. And in return, she kept the bullies off of him.

At lunch, she sat in the Great Hall with her usual group: Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasley twins, Neville, Seamus and Dean.

"Oi," Fred, or George, said, "who's that?"

The group turned to see at the giant doorway Professor Dumbledore standing with a man none of them had seen before. He was clearly older, but he was not as old as his white hair indicated. He was tall, and the way he held himself indicated he was a powerful man. He wore a black suit with a white crisp shirt and no tie. Muggle clothes.

Julie realized this must be the mutant her uncle and Professor Lupin had warned her to stay away from. Looking at him, she felt herself go on guard. She sensed something bad about him. It didn't help that when she tried to read his mind, she was blocked.

The group was all guessing who this stranger was, but Julie wasn't paying any attention. Instead, she focused harder and struggled pushing past his mental barricade. When she finally got in, all she could read were his passing thoughts. He was looking for someone. A girl. But he had never seen her before. He looked at all the different girls in the Great Hall, wondering if each girl was who he was looking for. He looked directly at her, to which she quickly retreated from his mind and looked away. She didn't dare look back him, for fear of letting him know she had been in his mind.

"Julie?" Neville, who sat next to her, asked. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy there for a second."

At the teachers' table, Julie saw both her uncle and Professor Lupin looking at her. She could still feel the man looking at her. Finally the teachers looked away and Julie let herself relax. Looking at the door, she was relieved to see the doorway was empty.

Julie sat there, deep in thought. _Was he looking for me? But why? I don't know him. Did he know mom and dad?_ The questions were endless. She had never encountered another mutant in person. She desperately wanted to, but at the same time she was afraid to be ousted as a mutant.

Julie stood, grabbing her pack and, leaving her barely eaten chicken, walked out of the Great Hall. She walked outside and went all the way down to the shore of the Black Lake. She went and sat against a giant tree, taking her shoes off so her feet were in the water.

She made sure no one was around, and Hagrid's hut was up on the hill.

She mentally reached out to the water and pulled a handful out. The water floated toward her and landed in her cupped hands. Picturing a flower, the water morphed into one, and with one small puff of cold air, she froze the water. She held the ice flower for a moment before placing it on the water and she watched it float away. She made a few more, until a line of ice flowers floated on the water.

"That's very impressive," a male voice said.

Julie jumped to her feet and turned to face the man from the Great Hall who was with Professor Dumbledore. She slipped back into her shoes and grabbed her pack.

"There's no need to hurry off," he said, stepping closer to Julie. "I came here to see you."

Julie looked up the hill to Hagrid's hut, where a line of smoke floated out of the chimney, meaning he was home. Julie could easily get past this man, but she didn't want to use her powers. She casually felt in her pack for her wand.

"Julie Summers," he said looking her over. "You look like your mother."

"How did you know my mother?" Julie asked. She couldn't stop herself.

"I knew your father, too. They were both powerful mutants, just like I'm sure you will be." The man extended a hand toward her. "My name is Eric Lensherr."

Julie looked at his hand, but refused to shake it. His face hardened when he realized she wouldn't shake.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Lensherr, but I really need to be going. I have class." Julie moved to head up the hill, but Mr. Lensherr stepped in front of her.

"Wait a moment. You and I have something to discuss."

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you at all," Julie said. "Now, please, excuse me."

"Ms. Summers, I don't take rejection well. Your parents learned that."

Julie stepped back, her voice coming out like ice. "What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Mr. Lensherr said nonchalantly. "Their deaths were a waste of great potential. Hopefully you'll be smarter than they were."

Anger seized Julie. Her powers bubble, she could feel herself about to lose it; she breathed, forcing the energy back. Her fists were clenched and she had no problem throwing a punch.

"What do you know about their deaths?" Julie asked, her voice hard.

Mr. Lensherr smiled. "I know your parents ticked off the wrong people. Unfortunately, they paid dearly."

A flood of emotions waved over her. What little this man had said was the most information she had ever received about her parents' murder. "Please, I have to know…anything."

"Well, isn't that interesting. I want something from you, and you want something from me. Perhaps we can help each other."

"What could you possibly want from me?"

"To a certain degree, you. Julie, your potential is greater than I think you even realize. What you were just doing there is just the beginning of what you could do. Imagine being able to command the water in this whole lake, bending it to your will. But here, you are squandering your abilities. I already know you can't use your powers; I mean, I could see you were trying to be secretive. Wouldn't you like to be able to use your powers whenever you want?"

Julie crossed her arms and turned to look out on the Black Lake. "Are you saying you can provide me with that freedom?"

"Mutants should not have to hide, Julie. We are the superior race. Why should we hide our talents, even witches and wizards, when we could be living out in the open, and even better, like gods?"

Julie couldn't hold back her laughter. "Gods? Why not live in peace with everybody? I don't want to be the superior race. I want to coexist, and everybody be happy."

"Julie," Mr. Lensherr said, "we will never be able to coexist with humans. They will always fear us and hate us."

"They wouldn't have to," Julie said, turning to face him, "if people like you weren't such Debbie Downers. If they don't see us threatening them, then they have no legitimate reason to be afraid of us."

Mr. Lensherr laughed, low at first, but he slowly grew louder. "How old are you? Thirteen? Yeah. You're smart for your age. But you're also sheltered. You don't know what it's like out there."

"You know what, I'm out. I've got to go." Julie walked past Mr. Lensherr, but he grabbed her by the arm to pull her back. He was clearly larger than her and was strong enough to keep her from leaving. She focused on her arm, picturing it pass through his hand, and it did.

"It seems you carry more than just your parents' abilities." From within his coat he pulled out a wand and cast a spell. "_Stupefy."_

Julie's body froze up and she collapsed, stiff as a stick. Over her, she could see Mr. Lensherr had two long metal rods in his hands. Letting them go, they twisted around her body and tied around her.

"I can control magnetism, Ms. Summers. Including the iron in your blood." An excruciating pain went through Julie, forcing tears into her eyes. "But I'm a merciful man and I don't want to hurt you."

Julie felt out to the water in the lack and pulled a heavy stream of water. She propelled the water at Mr. Lensherr, hard enough to send him to the ground. She gathered enough cold air together to create a powerful gust of wind; she sent the wind on Mr. Lensherr, freezing the water on him. Rolling over, she phased through the rods and rolled down the hill until she hit the water. She immediately made her body one with the water and fused into the lake. From the water she saw Mr. Lensherr frigidly stand and look for her in the water. He couldn't see her because she had become water. Once his back was turned, she bolted out of the water, solidifying into her body. From her hands she sent a blast of energy, pushing him and holding him to the ground.

"I have more experience with my powers than perhaps you thought, Mr. Lensherr." Julie took the two metal rods and threw them into the lake. "Now, I'm going to class. I suggest you leave."

Julie turned to go up the hill, but stopped short when she saw her classmates gathered, looking down at her in awe. Behind them, Professor Lupin looked down at her with a look of disappointment. She walked toward her class, and was hurt to see them back away from her. Even Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at her with expression that almost looked like fear.

Down the hill, Mr. Lensherr stood, brushing himself off. He looked up at Julie with a smirk.

"No wonder she got all good marks," Draco Malfoy said. "She's a cheat! Some kind of freak who doesn't need her wand."

"Look at what she did to that guy," someone else in the group said. "She's dangerous! Who knows what else she's capable of?"

"I'll bet she could kill us all!"

The accusations grew louder and everyone began to point at Julie, looking at her with disgust. Professor Lupin managed to calm the class down, sending them down to class with Hagrid. He motioned for Julie to stay behind.

"Professor, I-" Julie started to say, on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, Julie," Professor Lupin said. "I truly am, but we can't protect you now. Once students tell their parents, the owls will flock in asking for your expulsion."

Panic gripped Julie so hard she was frozen. "So, I need to…what? Pack up my bags and leave?"

"That, or wait to be properly expelled. Then, there's no way you can come back to Hogwarts."

Julie nodded, tears flowing down her face. "I'm so sorry, professor. It's just, he knows something about Mom and Dad's deaths."

Mr. Lensherr was gone. Somehow, that didn't surprise Julie. At that moment, fear and panic were replaced by anger. It was his fault she had to leave one of the few places she called home. And he would pay. If he wanted to see her full power, he could and he would suffer from it.


	4. Chapter 4

_Four years later..._

The sky was severely overcast over the town of Bayville, New York. Red, yellow and brown leaves flew with the wind, resting in lawns and gutters. Cars were backed up everywhere from people trying to get their Thanksgiving shopping done. Grocery stores parking lots were full and a few accidents had occurred throughout the day over a free parking space.

Julie Summers walked around downtown Bayville observing the normalcy. Families walked together, looking picture perfect in matching sweaters. A friendly middle aged man stood in front of a department store window, admiring a set of golf clubs. Tweens walked in groups, trying to look cool being on their own without parental supervision.

About one block up, a man in dark grey overcoat and a black fedora stepped out of a barber shop. He walked toward her, to which she turned to face the store window in front of her.

Looking at her reflection, she saw a seventeen year old girl on a mission. Standing at five foot two, she didn't look very dangerous. She was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, tucked into a pair of knee high black boots, a dark blue silk blouse with a black lace back, and a black fringe scarf. Her long, brown wavy hair fell down to her shoulder blades, bangs swept just over brown eyes. Everyone told her so, but even she admitted she looked like her mom, or what she knew from the few photos she had.

The man walked by her, and she waited for him to get a block ahead before slipping into the crowd, following him at various distances. She remained at a neutral pace, losing sight of him once or twice. He turned a corner, she walked to the other side of the street before turning, remaining parallel with him.

After following him for a good while, they ended up in the warehouse district of Bayville. She was a good distance behind him, since there were barely any pedestrians besides the two of them.

Finally, he slipped into an alley between two large warehouses. Julie ran and hid around the corner. Turning herself invisible, she peeked around the corner and watched him punch a code in to a small panel beside a metal door. The door slid open and he walked in.

Julie stepped into the alley, still invisible since there was a security camera over the door. A fire escape led up the side of the building all the way to the top, but there were no windows. She flew up to the roof and landed on a flat anding.

In the middle of the landing, five giant metal balls, taller than Julie, rested. She went up to one of them and knocked on it. A slight echo came from within. Hollow. Odd.

A few feet away, a door opened to a staircase leading down into the warehouse. The door was, of course, locked, but Julie simply passed through the door. Down a few flights of stairs, she came out into the actual warehouse and stopped.

The entire warehouse was taken up by a giant metal dome. The top of the dome was a few feet shy of the ceiling. The sides of the dome all connected to the sides of the building. The landing she was currently on lead to a sort of trap door on the dome. Julie tried opening it and was surprised and wary that it opened.

She climbed down down a ladder into a closet, the room was that small. Still invisible, Julie walked into a hallway. The hall followed the curve of the dome, meaning Julie had to be wary of people walking around the curve. The hallway led to a giant room, full of boxes at the edges. In the middle there was a metal table surrounded by metal chairs. In the chairs, four men seemed to lounge about, bored out of their minds. But the man she had followed wasn't there.

Julie climbed onto a stack of boxes, perched so she could see everything in the room.

At the opposite end of the room, a wall seemed to slide open, and a man in a red costume, complete with purple cape and metal helmet, stepped into the room. He moved to the table where the four men snapped to the attention.

"Gentlemen," he said, "we are graced with the presence of an unwanted guest."

Julie inhaled sharply. How could he possibly know she was there?

"Find her, and bring her to me...alive."

The four men jumped out of their chairs. Two of them ran out of the room, the other two spread out across the room.

A man in a long brown trench coat and a long rod in his hand walked toward her. On the other side of the room, an animalish man seemed to be sniffing the room.

"Show yourself, chere," trench coat said with a strong, thick Cajun accent. "I promise not to hurt you."

Julie thought for a moment. _I could just dodge them. But what is the fun in that? I think I'll play with them._

Julie jumped down a few feet away from him. He heard her land and jumped into a defensive position. She stepped beside him and kicked his leg out from under him. He swiped at her with his rod, but she easily side-stepped the attack. She grabbed the rod and shoved it into his chest, pushing him back.

A growl behind her warned her to the animal mans attack. She stepped to the side and laughed as he fell onto the Cajun. Both men quickly picked themselves up and positioned back to back. Julie started with the animal man and punched him in the throat then the ribcage. The Cajun man rolled to her side and blindly attacked her. She managed to avoid his attacks, but a painful punch to the back sent her to the ground.

Maintaining her invisibility was draining her, but she needed the element of surprise. Putting a hand to the ground, she formed a slick layer of ice that spread across the floor, and crawled up on the two men. They fought the ice, breaking it as it kept trying to form over them.

The Cajun man pulled out what looked like a playing card and threw it toward her. She noticed some electrical charges coming off the card and jumped back just as it exploded. She rolled on the ground, against the metal boxes and got up. She was now cornered by the Cajun and the animal man.

The Cajun stepped forward, pointing the rod in her general location, and somehow released a gas. Julie inhaled, immediately gagging and coughing. Her body became sluggish as she tried to get away. Her legs gave out first, and she couldn't seem to stay awake. The last thing she saw was the Cajun man standing over her.


	5. Chapter 5

When Julie woke up, she immediately felt pain in her arms. She saw that she was suspended by a pair of chains cuffed to her arms and attached to the ceiling. The cuffs were digging into her wrists. The floor was about ten feet below her. She tried to phase through them, but she received a painful jolt in her wrists, reverting her immediately solid.

She then gripped the chains, and, using her body strength, tried yanking the chains from the ceiling. The ceiling barely shook. A slight groan came from the metal, but that was about it. A few more yanks, and her shoulders and arms began to hurt.

The sound of footsteps behind her caused Julie to instinctively try to turn around. Her head jerked back painfully. Below her, Julie saw the Cajun man walk over to the wall she faced and lean against it, looking up at her.

"Well, you are a pretty young thing aren't you mon petite?" he asked.

Standing still, Julie could see he was an attractive guy. Maybe twenty, or twenty-one? Tall, muscular with brown hair that stopped short of a pair of eyes that almost looked red. He was rather handsome, but that bad boy smirk gave away his personality. He was really popular with the ladies, cocky, confident and clever.

He waited for some sort of response. "Not a talker? No worries. Magneto will have you talking in no time. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gambit."

Julie snorted. "What kind of name is that?"

"But of course, that is not my proper name. Only my friends know my full name. You, chere, are clearly not my friend." Gambit took out a deck of cards and started to play with it. "And you?"

Julie simply shook her head. "Not on your life."

"Well, I must say, your abilities are impressive cherie. But, I am curious as to why you would come here? People do not just stumble upon us here. Magneto makes sure of that."

"Who is this Magneto person?" Julie asked. Gripping the chains, she started to swing back and forth.

"He'll be here in a little bit. I thought you and I could get to know each other. I like to know beautiful women."

"I suppose I'm supposed to be flattered?"

Gambit shrugged. "You are not an X-Men. And none of the guys seemed to recognize you. My guess is you have some vendetta against Magneto, or perhaps you know him as something else. Am I right?"

Julie attempted to shrug, and winced as pain shot through her shoulders.

"But you are young. Fifteen, or sixteen, maybe seventeen?"

"I turned seventeen a month ago. I'm not that young."

Gambit chuckled. "Petite, you are a youngin'. You have not lived life. Not yet."

"How old are you?" Julie asked.

"Twenty-one, twenty-two in a few months."

"You're not much older than I am."

"Five years is a bigger difference than it seems. I've lived more in five years than I have my whole life."

"That doesn't make much sense." The pain was too much in her arms so she let herself swing still.

"One day you'll understand." Gambit stood up straight, looking at someone behind Julie. "Well, see you around cherie...or maybe not."

Julie watched Gambit walk under her and out of the room. A few seconds later, the man in the red costume with the cape and helmet walked in front of her. With a wave of his hand the cuffs around her wrists released her and Julie fell. She telekinetically caught herself before she collapsed on the ground. She stood up, stretching her arms before looking at the man in front of her.

He took the helmet off of his head and Julie immediately recognized him.

"Nice haircut," Julie said.

"Ah, so that's where you followed me from," Mr. Lensherr said. "I didn't catch on to you until about Fifth street. You're very stealthy. Now the question: who are you?"

"I guess I have changed quite a bit." Julie closed her eyes and pictured herself four years ago. A young teen in her awkward stages of development. She felt her body morph into the image in her mind. "Remember me now?"

Mr. Lensherr's eyes widened for a moment. "It has been a few years since I saw you last. I'm assuming things didn't work out for you at Hogwarts."

Julie scoffed. "Not exactly. No thanks to you, Mr. Lensherr. Or, what is it that man called you? Magnet man?"

"I am known as Magneto in the mutant community." Magneto moved his hand and two chairs, facing each other, formed from the metal ground. "Please, have a seat."

The two sat, facing each other. Magneto clearly had the home advantage here. Julie decided she would have to pick her moment carefully.

"I honestly never thought I would see you again," Magneto said. "I came across my file on you a couple of weeks ago."

"You have a file on me?"

"I have a file on anyone of interest to me. But you did drop off my radar for a bit." Magneto leaned back and smiled. "I'm very pleased with what I've seen Ms. Summers. You clearly are mastering your mutant abilities. Invisibility, morphing, creation of ice...I've never heard of one mutant with so many abilities. It's wonderful!"

"It's been helpful every now and then." Julie didn't see anything in the room that would help her. Only metal. "What do you plan to do now?"

Magneto stood and began to pace. "Well, now that I know who you are, things change. I'm assuming this was your attempt at revenge against me. Am I correct?"

Julie glared at Magneto in response.

"Well, I would like to have you as an ally rather than an enemy, but I will never be able to trust you. Then again, I don't trust any of those buffoons who work for me."

"You make it sound like I would want to join you."

Magneto reached into a hidden pouch and pulled out a small wooden box. "I have a few reasons. This is one." He opened the box, revealing a crystal the size of her fist.

Julie jumped up form her seat and quickly backed away from the small, shiny object he held. Already she could feel her powers draining from her; at the same time her sight disappeared. She felt out in front of her and held onto the back of the metal chair.

"Empty crystals are easy to come by," Magneto said. The sound of his voice came from behind her. "But few people know their properties. I would never have guessed they were capable of stripping people of their powers. And, according to your brother, without your powers, you're blind."

_I cold kill Derek._ Julie thought. "I can live without my powers."

"I'm sure you could." The sound of shattering erupted and Julie's sight returned. "But I also have some forms of leverage. Such as an event that occurred in the Ministry of Magic two years ago. Rumor has it you had a vision of the death of your godfather, Sirius Black."

The color drained from Julie's face. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I have my ways. What I find interesting is that you had this vision, and you were there, but your godfather still died? If I were you, with few living relatives, I'd do anything to save one of the few people who mater to me. And yet, you were there, but he still wound up dead."

Tears gathered in Julie's eyes, along with anger that bubbled under the surface. "I couldn't stop it...I didn't know it was right then..."

"But what do you think your friends in the Order of the Phoenix will think of it? What about Mr. Potter? They would think you had let him die. I know I would."

Julie looked up at Magneto, tears pouring down her face. "You are a monster."

"You may see me that way, but I am doing you a favor. I haven't told anyone, so your secret is safe with me."

"For as long as I do what you say, right?"

"You catch on quickly."

"I'm not stupid. I know how blackmail works."

"Well, now that that's settled, let's get to business. You are still in school?"

Julie nodded. "We're on break for Thanksgiving, but they expect me back on Monday."

"Who do you live with?"

"I have someone who looks after me and my parents estate, but I live alone for the most part."

"Good, moving you should not be difficult."

"Moving me?"

"Of course, you do me no good being far away. I need you with easy access. I won't pull you out of school and you will have sufficient time to complete your schoolwork. I believe it's important for youths to receive a proper education."

"How noble of you," Julie said. "And where will I be going to school?"

"Bayville High School. I will move you into the Brotherhood Boarding House. My son, Pietro, is there, but you will report directly to me. Not him. He is attempting to train the boys who live there to be a good enough to join me. However, you will attend school with a group of mutants, perhaps you know them? The X-Men."

"The X-Men?" Julie said. "But, they would be my parents age..."

"These are a new set of X-Men. All around your age. Charles Xavier has created a sort of haven for young mutants."

"Oh..." Julie couldn't help wondering why he hadn't tried to find her? Her parents were a part of the original group of X-Men.

"You are not to make it known of your affiliation with me. I would like for you to make a friend among them, someone who likes to share."

"So, I'm your spy?"

"More than that. You now work for me. If I want you to break into a bank, you will do it. If I need you to probe someone for information, you will do it. If I ask you to kill-"

"No." Julie said this firmly. "I do not, nor will not kill anyone. Ever. That is my stipulation."

Magneto paused, then nodded. "Very well."

"So, I go home and pack my things?"

"Yes. You will return Sunday and I will meet you at Bayville park at six o'clock sharp."

Julie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Understand Magneto, Mr. Lensherr, whatever you go by: the minute I can be free of you, I will. And in that moment, I will turn on you and you will not see it coming. I will get revenge for you ruining my life. I promise."

Magneto laughed. "I will be impressed if you succeed."

Julie stood. "Do not underestimate my ability."


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't understand..." Dana Brighton said. She watched her best friend empty her closet and drawers. "You aren't telling me why you're moving. Is it something I did? My family?"

Julie turned to Dana, putting her hands on her shoulders. "No. I promise. I really can't explain properly...if I told you the truth, you would never think of me the same. I'm sorry. I"m also not telling you for your safety."

"Safety, from what?"

"It's better you don't know." Julie went back to packing her suitcases. "Dana, believe me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be leaving. But I have to go."

"What happened in New York? I know it had something to do with your trip."

"Let's just say I walked into a set up."

"So, how long will you be up there?"

"I don't know. For as along as I need to be. But I will keep in touch. It's not like I'm never going to see you again."

"Ms. Summers, the car is here." William, Julie's caretaker, stood at her bedroom door. He was probably one of the few butlers left in existence, even going so far as to wear the black suit and bow tie. His grey hair was thinning and his crows feet got deeper each year.

"Thank you, William. I've left some of the bags in the hall. Would you take them to the car please?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I can't believe this is happening..." Dana sat on Julie's bed. "I just can't believe it."

"I truly am sorry, Dana." Julie zipped up the last bag and took it to the hallway. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"Julie...if you're in some kind of trouble..."

"I'm not. I'm just, kind of being...blackmailed."

"Blackmailed! Julie, what could you possibly have done?"

"It's more of what I didn't do. And that's all I'm saying."

Julie walked out to the town car that was waiting to take her to the airport. William passed them to get the last bags. She looked out at her family's land, the twenty acres she had grown up on. The pond was a little low, but the rainy season would fix that.

"Who is that?" Dana pointed to the end of the long driveway."

Julie made her eyes zoom to the end of the driveway. A man in a long brown trench coat rested on a bike, but he kept his helmet on. In his hands he was messing with a deck of cards.

"My escort, apparently."

William shut the trunk, signalling it was time to go.

"I'm going to miss you." Julie said to Dana. The two girls hugged.

"You too," Dana said.

Julie got into the town car, still waving out the window as the car pulled away. When the car passed Gambit, she made a point to flip him the bird.


	7. Chapter 7

After landing in Bayville, Julie met Magneto, who gave her instructions for getting settled in at the Brotherhood Boarding House and school the next day. Around seven, Julie found herself in front of a large, two story Victorian house that was in serious need of repair. She knocked and voices inside argued about who would get the door.

Finally a girl her age with cropped black hair and a goth feel to her opened the door. She frowned, looking Julie over.

"Hi," Julie said. "I'm Julie Summer. Um, I'm supposed to live here?"

A blur of white appeared behind the goth girl. It solidified into a tall, lanky boy with white hair and pale complexion. He smirked while looking Julie over in a piggish manner. "Well, hello. We've been expecting you. Come right in."

Julie stepped into the foyer and was immediately horrified at the state of the inside. Wallpaper was peeling; carpeting coming up; lighting fixtures hanging by the wiring; a few holes in the stairs.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a dump, but you'll get used to it." The nearly albino kid pointed to the girl, who just stared at Julie. "This is my sister, Wanda. And I'm Pietro. The rest of the gang is in the living room. I'll show you to your room."

Pietro opened a door at the end of the hall and ushered her in. "This is your room."

Julie walked in, fearful of its state, and was surprised to see that the room was completely in tact. A full bed, a set of drawers, two bedside tables, and a closet. Perfect.

"We've never used this room before. If you want anything you'll have to buy it yourself." Pietro noticed she only carried a single suitcase. "Where's all your stuff?"

"Oh, it's in a cab outside," Julie said. "Would you mind-"

Pietro was gone in a blur and returned three seconds later with her bags.

"Thank you!" Julie said. "Well, I suppose I'll start unpacking."

And Pietro left in a blur.

_A speed demon...and a cocky one at that._

Julie closed the door to her room and began unloading her things.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Julie showered-in a horrifying state of a bathroom-and dressed for school. She settled for a pair of skinny jeans, black flats, a white long sleeve shirt with a scoop neck and a large, short sleeved tan knit sweater. She put her hair up in a high ponytail, also pinning back her bangs. She didn't want to over do it on her first day so she settled with the basics for make-up, foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara, and some nude eye shadow. While putting on her mascara, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something crawling across the counter top. She waited a second before slamming her hand down on the creature. Looking at her hand, she wanted to vomit when she saw the squished cockroach on her hand.

"Oh my God. I can't live like this. I'm going to have to do some serious renovating if I'm supposed to stay here." Julie washed her hands of the remains of the insect.

Downstairs, Pietro and Wanda sat at the table, along with a tall boy with brown hair styled in a shag. He wore a pair of grungy jeans, an old black shirt and a brown vest. He wore a seemingly permanent scowl. Julie sat beside him, but he didn't seem to notice her presence.

"Good morning," Julie said. No one responded. She focused on the guy she was sitting next to. "Um, I'm Julie, and you are?"

"This is Lance," Pietro said. "He's not a morning person."

"Oh, ok. Well, what time do you guys leave for school? I don't have a car yet and I would appreciate a lift."

The boy named Lance scoffed at the statement. "We don't go to school. We were kicked out by that prick Kelley."

"I guess I'll walk then...um, where is the school?"

"I'll take you," Lance said. "I need a reason to get out of this dump."

"And see Kitty," Pietro chirped in.

"Shut up, Pietro," Lance growled. His fists were clenched tightly and Julie felt the earth begin to shake. It stopped a moment later.

"Whoa," Julie said. "Was that you?"

"He's known as Avalanche, if that gives you any indication," Pietro said.

_That might explain some of the wreckage around here._

"So, what's your mutation?" Pietro asked Julie.

Julie didn't know how to answer that. If she were ever to come against them in costume, and they knew about her many mutations, they would know it was her. She couldn't give too much away. "Well, I don't have one mutation. I won't go through them now, but sometime I can show you. Now, I'm starving. What do you have to eat?"

"Cereal." All three, even Wanda, said.

"But no milk, so it's going to be dry," Wanda said. It was the first thing she ever said solitarily to me.

Julie moved to the cupboards-some were missing the doors-and pulled out the one box of cereal. It was already open and slightly torn at the corners...almost like some little creature was nibbling at it. She put it back. "I'll wait..."

"We don't really take time to go grocery shopping," Pietro said. "I guess we should probably go soon."

"Come on, new girl," Lance said, getting up from the table.

Julie followed Lance outside to a topless green Jeep. She hopped in beside him. He pulled out and sped down the residential street.


	9. Chapter 9

The young X-Men were all getting out of their respective cars and heading into the school. Kitty Pryde walked with her good friend Kurt Wagner. She saw a familiar Jeep pull up to the curb in front of the school. Naturally, she was excited to see Lance, especially since he didn't go to school anymore. At the same time, it was hard to try and have a fling with someone who she constantly seemed to be fighting. An X-Man and a Brotherhood Boy dating seemed nearly impossible. It didn't help that her team mates completely hated his guts.

Kitty was about to go up to Lance, but stopped when a girl hopped out of the passenger side. She was pretty, very pretty.

"Who is that?" Kurt asked eagerly. It was known that he had a slight crush on his friend, and any sign that Lance was going to screw up any feelings Kitty had for him made him more than happy. By looking at her face, he knew she was upset.

"I don't know," Kitty said sternly. "I've never seen him before."

The girl talked to Lance for a little bit before turning and running up the steps to school.

Kitty decided to not let Lance get to her, so she kept walking straight past him. She didn't need him. He could be just as easily replaced as she could be.

"Hey, Kitty!" Lance called out to her. She kept walking. He jumped out of the Jeep and ran up to her, standing in her way. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Kitty tried to walk past him, but he side-stepped her, getting in her way.

"What's your hurry? Class doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"I've got things to do. Now, please, excuse me."

"Come on Kitty. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Probably because you're too busy with your new girlfriend."

Lance paused for a moment. "Girlfriend? What are you...oh, Julie! No, no no! Kitty, she's the new girl staying at the Boarding House. I gave her a ride to school so I could see you."

Kitty immediately softened, even smiling. "Really?"

"Yeah...I've missed you."

Kitty looked up at Lance. "I've missed you too. So, there's another girl living with you guys? What's she like?"

"I don't really know. I just met her this morning. She seems more like an X-Man type, so it beats me as to why she's staying at our place."

"Hmm...that's interesting." I wonder if the Professor has picked her up with Cerebro?"

"It's odd. She showed up last night. Pietro knew she was coming. I wonder...I wonder if she has any connection to Magneto."

"I'll try to learn what I can today at school. She probably has some classes with at least one of us."

The school bell rang and all the students lingering outside began to drift inside.

"I've got to go." Kitty waved to Lance while heading inside. "Call me!"


	10. Chapter 10

Julie had been given her textbooks and locker combination at the front office and nicely sent on her way to find her home room. She found it before the bell rang and found a seat in the back.

Students trickled into the classroom; a goth girl and an asian boy sat on either side of her while a black girl sat in front of her. Julie wasn't great at the whole introduction thing. It didn't help that they were all talking to each other over her, like she wasn't there.

"So, who are you, new girl?" the Asian boy beside her asked. His voice had a strong German sounding accent to it, oddly.

"I'm Julie. Summers."

"Kurt Wagner," he said. "And that's Rogue on your other side."

Julie waved at her and the goth girl merely nodded in response.

"So, word on the street is you moved into the Brotherhood Boarding House," Kurt said.

Julie was taken aback. Word travelled quickly around here. "Uh, yeah. Last night."

"Interesting...so, what are you doing here?"

"I wasn't happy where I was," Julie lied. She didn't like lying, but she knew she had to tell a story that made some kind of sense as to why she would make such a big move in the middle of the semester. "I wanted to start over."

"Well, it's nice to have another mutant amongst us. Welcome to Bayville! But, if you can avoid it, I wouldn't oust yourself unless you had to. People around here don't seem to keen to have mutants in their schools with their kids."

"Oh, thank you. And I'll keep a note of that." Julie secretly sighed her relief. She didn't need to be figured out on the first day. But as for that keeping her mutant side secret, she wasn't sure how well that would play out. Julie never saw a reason for any mutant to have to live in fear or have to feel like they needed to hide themselves.

Kurt grilled her on her background until the bell rang. Even as homeroom began, he would whisper questions to her. Finally the bell rang and she was free to flee the interrogation. Her next class was World History. It took her a bit to find the classroom, but when she went in, there was one seat open, next to the girl from homeroom...Rogue. She sat in front of a tall boy, quite handsome, but he wore a pair of red sunglasses inside.

"Hello," Julie said to Rogue. Rogue nodded, but didn't speak. Julie sat awkwardly in the desk, trying to not read the minds of her classmates. It had become a habit for her when she wasn't doing anything in class.

"Hello there." The boy behind Rogue leaned forward toward Julie and Rogue. His sunglasses were so shiny Julie could see her own reflection. Julie swore she saw Rogue blush slightly. "I'm Scott."

"Julie Summers," she responded.

"Oh, what a coincidence! That's my last name, too."

"That's crazy!" Julie let a giggle escape. _Oh goodness, I am not about to start flirting with this guy._

"So, rumor has it you're living at the Brotherhood House," Scott said.

Julie nodded. "Boy, word sure does spread quickly here. I moved in yesterday. Why? You look like you don't approve."

"They're a bunch of delinquents. There's a reason they were kicked out of school. They are mutants without restraint. You seem like a nice girl, but I've only know you for literally a minute. For all I know, you could be just as bad as them."

Julie shrugged. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Scott smiled. "Maybe we will."

"'We?'"

"The X-Men. There's a bunch of here at Bayville High. You should come by the mansion some time. I'm sure the Professor would love to meet you."

_I doubt it. He never thought to find me before._ "So, are you some kind of mutant super hero team?"

"Kind of, at times," Scott said. "But I can't say anymore. You'll just have to come check us out for yourself."

The bell rang and Julie turned around, quite pleased with herself. _Well, that was easy. I just got myself an in to the X-Men on the first day._


	11. Chapter 11

After history, Julie found herself in an AP English class that was seriously behind on their curriculum. The assignment she worked on she had done three weeks ago at her old school. She decided to ask Dana to keep her up to date on their assignments back home. She was not going receive a low mark on her AP exam because she had been forced into this place.

Then she had art class. They were painting still life portraits of fruit. So adventurous. Julie, however, was not a skilled artist to begin with, so it was probably a good start for her. She had wanted to get into the theatre program, but it turned out that everything except for art was already full.

Finally, it was lunch time. Julie could've inhaled all the food in the cafeteria she was so hungry. With her powers, she required to be energized; even when she wasn't using her powers she needed to fueled constantly. Fortunately she was blessed with an extremely high metabolism; otherwise she'd be the size of…well, she didn't like to think about that.

She went through the line, getting a salad, hamburger and brownie with a bottle of apple juice. The cafeteria was full of her new classmates, but she was stuck with the typical new kid dilemma: where was she going to sit? At her old school, she would have gone to her usual table with her old friends. Now, she had to find a whole new lunch table. There was Scott, Rogue and Kurt at a table with a bunch of other kids. She could go ask if she could sit with them, but what if they pulled the awkward 'we're letting you sit here out of pity' move?

"Julie!" Scott yelled to her from across the cafeteria. He waved her over, giving the green light to head over there.

She moved to head that way before a tall, blonde guy in the school's red and yellow leather letterman jacket stepped in her way. He was quite fit and quite charming to look at. From the patches on the side of the jacket, she guessed he was your typical school jock; football, and track state championships line the sleeves.

"Hey. I'm Duncan." His smile and leering eyes told her he was definitely your average cocky jock.

"Julie," she said shortly. Julie was not a huge fan of these types of guys. They automatically assumed they had their pick of women, instead of a girl being able to decide anything herself. She had established early on in her old school that she was not the type of girl these guys wanted; she would just have to do the same thing here.

"Why don't you come sit with me for lunch? There's a spot right next to me." He nonchalantly put his arm around Julie's shoulders, and started to steer her in the opposite direction of Scott and his friends.

"I would, but I was already planning on sitting with them," Julie said, pulling away from Duncan and pointing to the table where Scott was sitting.

Duncan's face immediately turned dark and angry. "That's not a good idea. You don't know this since you're new-"

"I know they're mutants," Julie said, reading his mind. "What you don't know, since I'm new, is that I am too. But before you knew that you were going to be quite the gentleman, weren't you? You were going to make me feel so special from all the other girls you've dated until you finally got into my pants. And if I was good, then, just maybe, you might keep me around. The real judgment of your character will be how you treat me now that you know I'm a mutant."

Duncan glared down at Julie, clearly angered that she would stand up to him. Julie saw his hand go for the tray. She probably could've stopped what was about to happen, but she had a feeling it would only create trouble for her and, by extension, the other mutants in the school. This guy probably had a lot of pull with the faculty, being so popular and all, and he could turn anyone against her in heartbeat. She'd seen it before. So, she let Duncan push the tray of food up, spilling it all over her.

Laughter erupted in the cafeteria, led by Duncan, who did it in her face. Looking into his eyes, Julie saw an evil lurking within him. Her body froze up and everything around her disappeared. She saw Duncan about five years down the road, leading a group of mutant haters on a raid against a group of innocent mutants who happened to cross their paths. It soon became a massacre. He kept on killing and killing…Julie closed her eyes trying to make the vision go away. Finally it went away and she was once again aware of her surroundings. Duncan was still leading the laughter and mocking. For some reason he had this desire to purge the world of mutants. But for now he had to live with torturing any mutant he came across in the hallways of Bayville High.

"Hey, Matthews!" Scott appeared from her, getting into Duncan's face. "What the hell? Who do you think you are? She's new!"

"Stay out of this Summers," Duncan said. He reached over to a nearby table and picked up some kid's Tupperware of soup. "Or you'll get it too."

Scott swiftly moved his hand, knocking the soup out of Duncan's hand and onto the floor. "I'm tired of your bullying, Matthews. It stops now."

"And are you going to stop me, Summers? Come on, blast me with your laser eyes and see what happens."

"Enough!" Julie exclaimed, stepping between the two guys. They were both considerably larger than her, but she could take them if she had to. "Scott, I'm fine. Let's go."

Julie had to almost push Scott away from Duncan, but finally she got him headed back towards his table. As they walked up to the table, Julie noticed the faces she hadn't seen in class before. A tall, pretty red head; a small, cute girl with brown hair put up in a high ponytail; and a black boy with blonde hair.

Scott sat and motioned for Julie to sit in the empty seat next to him. To the rest of the group he said, "Guys, this is Julie Summers. No relation to me. She just moved to Bayville yesterday. She's living at the Brotherhood house for now, but don't hate her just yet. We're going to try and convert her."

"How did you get pulled into that mess of a house?" the red head asked.

"Yeah, I'd kill them all," the black kid said.

"I just needed a place to live," Julie said, "and it was convenient that they're all mutants. I honestly had no idea there was an entire other place for mutants to live."

"Where is your family? I mean, your parents didn't just drop you off there and wish you luck did they?" the red head asked, laughing.

Julie got silent for a bit. Here came the awkward part, that would be followed by the pity. She hated pity. "Well, my parents were killed when I was two, so no they didn't do that. My uncle lives in England, so I kind of take care of myself. Back home I had a caretaker, but I decided to make this move on my own."

The entire table grew silent. Julie could see it coming-the pitiful looks and the guilt for bringing up the subject.

"I'm so-"

"Please, don't apologize," Julie said. "I'm so used to having to explain it to people that it doesn't bother me. I mean, I've had fifteen years to cope."

"Jeez, Scott, are you sure you don't have a sister you don't know about?" the black kid said.

Julie looked from him to Scott, confused. Scott looked at her, and Julie saw in his eyes-he truly understood. "My brother and I lost our parents when we were kids. Plane crash."

"Well, my parents definitely didn't go that way," Julie said. _If only that was how they had died._

"Well, I feel sorry for you, being stuck in that fire trap. I'm Jean Grey, by the way."

The little brunette piped up, saying, "So, do you have a boyfriend back home?"

Julie openly laughed. "No. I've never had time to date. Plus, I have yet to meet a guy who could handle me, or who intrigues me."

The girl seemed to relax slightly. "So, what do you think of the guys who live at the house?"

"I don't know yet," Julie said, shrugging. "Pietro seems rather full of himself. Wanda is the quiet and mysterious type. And Lance is a guy who could care less about what others think. He's kind of cute though-" the girl immediately tensed up, "-but, I'm not into guys who are high school drop outs."

"He didn't drop out! He was kicked out!" She paused for a second, realizing that didn't sound any better. "He was set up by Principal Kelly to look like a mutant menace."

"Come on, Kitty," Kurt said. "Everyone knows he doesn't need any help to look like that."

The entire table laughed, except for the girl. She glared at Kurt before pushing back from the table and storming off.

"So, I'm guessing she and Lance have something between them?" Julie asked.

"Oh geez, was it that obvious?" Rogue said, with a deep Southern accent. She rolled her eyes, expressing her exasperation at the situation.

"That's Kitty," Scott said. "Lance is a bit of a sore subject for her, especially with us. They have a sort of love-hate relationship."

"She seems very predatorial," Julie commented. "Well, she has nothing to worry about. He's definitely not my type."

"Well, if you ever want to move into a place where you aren't worried about the house falling in on out, I'm sure Professor Xavier would be more than happy to bring you in," Jean said.

Julie noticed Jean was concentrating on something very hard, and then realized she was a telepath. Jean was trying to read her mind. Well, she was in for a shock. Julie had a strong mental block up at all times, and this poor girl was not about to get past it today.

"Well, I think I had best go and clean up before class," Julie said. "And maybe see if I can grab something from the vending machine before class. It was nice to meet you all. Scott, thanks for coming to my rescue."

Everyone at the table watched Julie walk out of the cafeteria. They all turned back to face each other and waited for someone to speak up first.

"I couldn't read her mind," Jean finally said. "She had a very powerful mental block that I couldn't even try to get through. She's been building it up for some time I can tell."

"She's living with the Brotherhood," Rogue said.

"I like her," Kurt said. "She seems like a good person. Perhaps we can set up a meeting for her with the Professor."

"Guys, we just met her," said Scott. "We need to figure out her angle. She does seem like a good kid, but I also feel like there's something she's hiding something. I'm not sure what, but it's odd for her to just show up out of the blue. We can talk to the Professor about it and see what he knows. Since Mystique's disappearance, I don't think she recruited her to be a part of the Brotherhood. But I highly doubt she just happened to stumble upon Bayville on her own."

"I say we all keep an eye on her," Jean said. "A friendly eye though. We don't want to scare her off."

Everyone at the table agreed. The bell for class rang, and they all parted to go their separate ways.


	12. Chapter 12

Julie wanted to kill Magneto when her phone went off in the middle of class. She had to stifle the loud vibrations in her backpack; fortunately, she had managed to get a seat in the back so only her classmates heard it. Once the vibrating ceased, she slipped the phone out and checked her message:

MEET AT HQ ASAP.-ERIC

She typed her one word answer before putting the phone back. _Great. First day of school and I have to be at the Bad Boys Club. So help me, if I don't get my homework done tonight, he is dead._

Finally, the bell rang and Julie joined the flow of students pouring through the hallway. She stopped at her locker to switch out the books she needed.

"Hey Julie!" She jumped at Scott's voice which snuck up behind her. Turning around, she was surprised to see the whole gang with him. "We're heading to the mall. You want to come with?"

"I would, honestly, but I've got a bunch of homework to get done and I have to unpack," she lied through her teeth. Well, half-lied. Actually, it was true. She just had to make a stop before that could get done. So, actually a lie by omission.

"Well, you need a ride home? Or, is Lance picking you up?" Kitty asked. She had the crazy eyes of a girl who would scratch your eyes out in a heartbeat. Her name was looking more and more fitting.

"Actually, I'm not sure...I never set anything up. I can walk. I like walking." Julie started heading towards the door of the school; they followed.

"Oh, come on," Jean said. "We've got two cars, so one of us can take you home."

"Really, I'm ok." Julie stopped when she noticed a tall, slender man standing against a lamp post across the street. He had a long face with heavy five o'clock shadow which matched the brown hair that fell in his face. He wore a navy blue sweater with a white button-up underneath and a pair of khaki pants and loafers. This was the last place she expected to see her former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"I really appreciate the offer, but I've got to go." Julie quickly waved and ran across the street, dodging cars that were pulling away from the curb.

"Remus," Julie said, approaching her former teacher, "what are you doing here? Better question, how did you know I was here?"

"Wizard," he replied. "Magic does have its perks. As to what I'm doing here, I'll ask you the same question. The Order was worried when you abruptly moved to the same place where your parents lived when they left Hogwarts."

"Yeah, I just decided it was time that I lived closer to more mutants. That way I can be around people like me. Smart right?"

"And you're not living at that mansion with Professor Xavier?" Remus gave her an eyebrow lift of suspicion.

"I'm working on that. I just want to get settled here, see if I like it here before I take that step." She waited, trying not to break, until he gave the acceptance nod. She hated lying to him, truly she did, but she couldn't let Remus, or any member of the Order of the Phoenix, that she was working for Magneto. Not after the stunt he pulled on her four years ago. That would result in them doing a lot of probing and they couldn't know what he had on her.

"Well, it would have been better if you had told us," Remus said. "Does your uncle know?"

"Not yet...I figured I could tell him when I come over for the holidays." Julie felt her backpack begin to vibrate. She pulled it out and read the text:

WAITING.-ERIC

She inhaled deeply, trying not to appear annoyed.

"Everything ok?" Remus asked.

"I just have this pain in my as I have to work with," she said, shoving the phone into her back pocket. "Did you really come here just because I moved?"

"Just wanted to check in on you. It has been a while since we've heard form you. You disappeared after Sirius' death. How are you? He put his hands in his pockets, where you could just make out the bulge of his wand, and began walking. Julie moved in step with him.

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't get a whole lot of time with him. Of course, it sucks to lose your godfather..." Julie trailed off. It had been over half a year since Sirius disappeared behind the veil in the Department of Mystery. She could remember the feeling of deja vu she had when she watched it happen. It hadn't been the first vision she had come true, but it was the worst. And every day she wondered what she could have done to stop his death. She wiped away the tear that had begun to form in her eye. "I'm fine."

"Have you talked to Harry?"

Julie shook her head. Things had changed ever since she came back to the States. Well, actually, it was because she was a mutant, but she liked to think it was because she moved. Harry didn't talk to her because his crush Cho Chang made it clear she thought Julie was a freak, so he, being a man, avoided Julie to get in good with her. Ron was a little wary, but he still treated Julie same. Hermione refused to acknowledge her existence. The owls came less and less every year.

"Well, it will be good for you to come back for Christmas. We do miss you." Remus put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"And how are you and Tonks?" Julie asked, nudging him in the ribs.

"Well, it's-she's-we're...she keeps bringing up marriage."

Julie let out an excited squeal. Then she saw his face, which was not ecstatic. "Wait, do you not want to marry her?"

"No," Remus said emphatically. "I would, but my affliction makes it too dangerous. I couldn't start a family knowing I'd be passing on the werewolf trait."

"Tonks knew what she was signing up for. If you love her, marry her! You two make each other so happy."

"You sound just like her," Remus said. After a few silent seconds he muttered, "And everyone else."

Julie's phone went off again, but this time she felt it vibrating against her butt. "I'll kill him."

Remus smiled. "Your mother had the same facial expression when someone was irritating her. Most of the time it was caused by your father."

"Thanks for coming. I'm really glad to see a familiar face." Julie gave the man a hug. "Really, I appreciate it."

"We're always going to look after you. Me especially. I know your parents would expect it of me. Be good, please." Then he evaporated in a white mist. Julie wished she could apparate. It sure would make life easier.

She didn't bother checking the phone. Instead, she jumped up into the air and flew off toward Magneto's headquarters.

In a parked red convertible in the school parking lot, a couple hundred feet away from Julie, Kurt, Kitty and Scott watched the new girl converse with an older man. Had Jean been with them, they could have had a play by play of their conversation. Finally, the man vanished into thin air and Julie flew into the sky toward downtown Bayville.

"Wonder where she's going?" Kitty asked. "The Brotherhood house is the other way."

"I wonder who that guy was she was talking to?" Kurt asked. "Did you see that? He teleported! I've never seen anyone else teleport."

"So much for following her," Scott said.

"What were you hoping find?" Kurt asked. He hadn't wanted to spy on Julie, but he couldn't be left out of an intrigue.

"I don't know. But why would she heading into the city? She doesn't know anyone here, does she?"

Kurt and Kitty both shrugged.

"I don't think she's hiding anything," Kurt said. "Maybe we should wait until she actually does something before we go super spy on her."

"Yeah," Scott said, still unsure. "I just get this odd feeling about her."

"Well, I think we should just bring her over to the mansion and introduce her to the professor," Kurt said.

"Why don't we just talk to him about it? I'm ready to get home. I've got homework to do." Kitty fell into the back seat. She was already tired of this girl, and she'd only been here a day.


	13. Chapter 13

Julie landed in front of the brick building where she had followed Magneto just a few days ago. There was no form of a front door, so she assumed she would have to use the side door she had watched Magneto use. She entered the alleyway, but searched for the door only to see it didn't exist. She almost missed the number pad. This must be the way in. There was only one problem. She didn't have the code.

Putting her hand up to the brick wall, she pressed along the wall using her phasing ability until she nearly fell into the space where the door was hidden. She phased through the door and entered a long metal hallway. The hallway had a few different doors with who knew what behind them. She followed the hallway, until it lead into the large open room she had battled Magneto's goons in. No one there. She walked over to the table and placed her backpack on it. She noticed that a chair on the other side of the table had her name engraved along the back of the chair. Daughter Nature.

_Now, how did he know my codename? _Julie thought. She settled into the seat, sitting against the tall stiff metal back. She figured she would wait for Magneto here and pulled out her calculus book and paper and began working.

"Well, well, well." The voice came from behind Julie, making her jump in her seat. She looked up and rolled her eyes when she saw the filthy Cajun looking down at her. "How nice to see you again."

"You're not counting escorting me to the airport from my house and from the airport to the boarding house," Julie stated. She went back to her homework, but Gambit didn't seem to want to let her get it done.

"I couldn't believe it when Magneto told us you were going to be part of the team," he said, sitting in the seat beside her.

"Not by choice, believe me," Julie said.

"It's not so bad," Gambit said. "It'll be fun having a girl in the group."

"Is it really surprising that a girl hasn't joined you before?" Julie looked at Gambit and gave him an obvious once over, followed by a look of mild disgust. "You're not exactly the cleanest looking bunch. I mean, come on, you've got a guy who resembles a man-cat."

"Excuse you, cher, but I happen to be a very attractive man, and I know it."

"Another quality feature, lack of humility. Do you mind? I'm trying to get this homework done while I wait for Magneto. He texted me to be here, so here I am. He better have a good reason for me to be here."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Julie turned around, having to look around the back of her chair, to see Magneto walking toward her, followed by the rest of his little gang of mutants. The men all sat in their respective seats: the tall, muscular muscle man sat on the other side of Julie; the red haired pyromaniac sat next to Gambit; and the cat man sat between muscles and pyro.

"Hey, isn't she the one..." the red head began to say. He had a thick australian accent.

"Silence, Pyro," Magneto said. He stood at between the cat man, and the one fittingly called Pyro. "This is Daughter Nature. She is a promising new addition to the Acolytes." _Really? What a name. _"Her abilites...vary. I called you in today so you could get a feel of this place, and of the people you'll be working with. Play nice."

He turned around, his cloak dramatically whipping behind him and stormed off toward a wall that parted for him. It lead into a room, and closed behind him.

"Daughter Nature, eh?" Pyro said. He leaned forward, looking at her intently. "Clever."

"And Pyro's an original name," she retorted.

"Now, now, let's get along, cher," Gambit said, hitting Julie on the back. "That's Colossus, next to you, and the savage man next to him is Sabretooth."

Julie pointed to each guy and recited there name's, "Gambit, Pyro, Sabretooth, and Colossus. Right?"

They nodded in response. Sabretooth got up from the table and skulked off.

"Don't mind him," Pyro said. "He's not exactly the social type."

"He's more of the, kind that if you talk to him he might claw your face off," Gambit said.

"So, how did you get roped into this gig?" Pyro asked.  
"Magneto's got something on me, and he also some information I want," Julie responded. "But I don't plan on being here long. I'll find a way out of this mess. I don't want the reputation of being a bad guy. Normally I'm the one putting guys like you behind bars."

"You seem kind of young to be doing this kind of stuff."

"I doubt Magneto cares about age as much as results. Besides, he must figure that if I'm old enough to kick butt I can do his dirty work."

"You still in school?"

"No," Julie said, pointing to the homework in front of her. "I do this kind of work for fun."

"Well, you look the bookworm type," Gambit said. He wore a sly smile as he said it. He was trying to instigate her, but Julie decided to ignore the comment.

Julie noted that the metal man hadn't said a word yet. She looked at him for a second, trying to figure what he said beneath the metallic skin. Chiseled face, but soft features. She couldn't gauge his eye color.

"So, Pyro, you're from Australia? And Gambit, you're clearly from the swamp lands, you look and sound like a swamp rat. What about you Colossus? Where are you from?"

He looked shocked that she had said anything to him. He opened his mouth, but couldn't seem to find the words. Finally he said, "Russia."

His voice was deep and his accent thick. At the same time, his tone was timid and shy. For being a large, intimidating force, he seemed awfully nervous to speak to her. For some reason Julie found it funny and accidentally let a laugh escape her lips. She saw him get a look of shock and embarassment.

"No, no, I'm not laughing at you," Julie said. He didn't look convinced. "I'm sorry. I just had a random thought go through my head...I just, you seem...shy. Am I right?" He nodded in a noncommittal way. "You just don't seem like the type to be timid. I mean, look at you. You could probably pick up a couple tons and bench press them. Most guys with that kind of power are loud and obnoxious because they think the whole world cares what they have to say."

"I...I am not strong in this language," he said.

"Well, I'm sure it's vastly different from Russian."

"When he first got here he couldn't speak a lick of English," Gambit said.

"Oi, he would start spurting out a bunch of gibberish and we had no idea what he was trying to tell us," Pyro said.

"So many accidents could have been avoided," Gambit said, shaking his head.

"That one time I clearly yelled 'GOOSE!'" Colossus said.

Julie busted out laughing, as did Gambit and Pyro. Colossus looked lost.

"It's 'duck,' mon," Gambit said. "When you want someone to get down, you yell 'duck.'"

"Oh," Colossus said.

"So, cher," Gambit said, "what exactly is your mutation?"

Julie bit her lip. This was always a little hard to explain. "Well, it's not exactly one mutation. I have multiple."

"Such as..." Pyro said.

"I mean, I can fly, I can read minds, telekinesis, the ability to morph...there's a lot of them. I don't really like listing them," Julie said.

"Show us," Gambit said.

"What? No!"

Gambit and Pyro looked at each other, sharing a devious smile. Gambit creepily put his hand close to her leg, resting on her chair. "Come on, cher. We'll make you if we have to."

Julie immediately got freaked out. "Don't make me hit you." She began to feel the chair tingle beneath her. Looking down, she saw that the chair was sparking, like the playing card she had seen Gambit thrown the last time they fought. She jumped back, practically landing on Colossus, causing them both to hit the floor, just as the chair exploded.

"What the hell?" Julie said, jumping up. The chair was now a molten mess, resembling more a piece of modern art than a place to sit. Heat hit her back and she whipped around to see a wall of fire surrounding her, leading back to Pyro, who seemed to control the flames from the pack strapped to his back. "Seriously?"

The wall of fire turned into a flaming whirwind that headed toward her. She let the flame pass over her, and let the flame attach to her skin. Her skin melded with the flames, and she became one with the fire. She turned to face Gambit and Pyro, who were both slackjawed at the sight of her. Putting her hand up she let a stream of flame fly toward Gambit. Pyro would only have reflected the attack. Gambit rolled away, just missing the fire landing where he stood. "Yeah, I can play this game too."

She inhaled, and with her exhale the fire seemed to fall off of her skin. Colossus looked at her, amazed that Julie had no burn marks on her. Not even a singe. He muttered something in Russian.

"Look, I really don't feel like playing 'my powers are bigger than yours.' I promise, you will lose. Now, can I just finish my homework?" Julie stormed over to the table, moving the molten metal mess with her telekinesis, and replaced it with Gambit's seat. She sat down, grabbed her iPod, put the headphones in and got to work on the homework.

Gambit and Pyro shrugged and left the room. Colossus sat beside her, wanting to say something, but clearly she was upset. Finally, he tapped her on the shoulder.

"What?" Julie barked, pulling on earbud out of her ear.

"I just wanted to say that was really...cold?" Colossus said.

Julie smiled. "Close. 'Cool.'"

"Yes, cool."

"Thanks. I don't mean to be touchy about it. It's just hard sometimes. All these powers in me and sometimes it's just overwhelming for me. I'm still learning how to control all of them. Not that I lose control a lot, but still...it happens." Julie looked up at the metal man. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"It's alright," he said. "It's nice to talk to someone other than those two."

"So, can I ask why you wear that metal skin all the time? Is it permanent?"

Colossus shook his head. "No. I guess I've gotten so used to wearing it that I forget to take it off."

Slowly, the metal seemed to retract from his skin, revealing his pale skin. His hands showed markings of manual labor, as did his bulging arms. Julie looked up at his face and saw that the small wrinkles in his face revealed he smiled often. His blue eyes crinkled at he sides, showing that even when he didn't smile with his mouth, he did with his eyes. And man were they nice to look out. Julie could see the good nature in his eyes.

_Snap out of it!_ She thought to herself. She tried to shove down the warm feeling inside of her, which only transferred to her cheeks. _Damn is he attractive. But he works for Magneto. But he seems nice._ The internal debate seemed endless.

"How old are you Colossus?"

"Twenty."

_Too old. No way. _Sometimes Julie hated being a girl.

"Well, I'm just going to get back to working on this. It's due tomorrow and I have a few other assignments I need to do."

Colossus nodded, looking down at the floor slighly embarassed. He got up and walked away, Julie watching him the whole time. She saw the metal skin slowly return and she wanted to kick herself. _Way to go. Now he thinks you think he's a freak. Seriously, learn to act normal!_

"Colossus!" She called out before he left the room. He turned around. "I think you look good without the metal."

He paused for a minute. She was too far away to see the small smile on his lips. He nodded to her then left the room. Julie sat back in Gambit's seat, a big smile on her face. _Boy am I in trouble._


	14. Chapter 14

Julie returned to the Boarding House that night with an arm full of grocery bags. Everyone was in the living room watching TV when she entered. Pietro heard the fridge open and close, causing him to zip into the kitchen. He watched her put stuff into the cupboards and fridge in amazement.

"What're you doing?" he asked. His absence in the room had drawn attention of the others, causing them to follow him. They, too, watched in awe as this new girl moved about.

"Not starving," Julie responded. Turning around she saw two new faces. The big guy carried enough weight that she realized she had not bought enough food. The other was lanky, pale and stunk lightly. He was crouched down, almost like a frog. "Hi, I'm Julie."

"Oh, yeah," Pietro said, "this is Toad and Blob."

"What's up?" the one called Toad asked.

"How did you get home?" Lance asked. "And what took you so long? You've been gone a while."

"I had to make a few stops and then I walked home. Thank goodness for GPS on my phone."

"Well look at Ms. Fancypants," Pietro said. "So, how was school? You run into any of those goody two shoe X-Men? They think they run that place, but we could take them any day."

"If you mean those kids from the Xavier Institute, then yeah, I did. I have at least of them in each class. Even gym. They seem nice enough. What's your tiff with them?"

"Oh, don't get me started," Pietro said. "They're the reason we got kicked out, you know?"

"Really?" Julie said, feigning interest. Something told her that wasn't exactly how things went down.

"If they hadn't just let us do things our way..."

"Man, we still would have been kicked out," Lance said. "All of us, including the X-Men."

"Yeah, it's all Principal Kelly's fault!" Toad said.

"Were they going to not allow mutants to attend school here?" Julie asked.

"Yeah, they held a meeting and everything about it," Blob said.

"That's just wrong," Julie said. She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "There shouldn't have been a vote at all. I understand that mutants are starting to come out, but that doesn't mean we're something society can ignore. We are intelligent human beings who have every right that they do. Ugh, it just boils my blood."

"Didn't it happen where you used to live?" This was the first time Wanda had said independently towards her.

"No. I was the only mutant who went to school that we knew of. And nobody had a problem so long as I didn't use my powers during school hours. It seemed fair."

"Well, now we're trying to get in with this guy, Magneto." Julie froze at Magneto's name, but quickly recovered. She didn't think they noticed.

"He's our father," Pietro said, waving a thumb between him and Wanda.

"Yeah, and he's one bad ass mutant. He wants to make sure everybody knows that we mutants are the superior race," Toad said. He was getting a little hoppy.

"But we're not," Julie said. "We're equal. That's the problem with this whole mess. Each side is trying to prove that one is better than the other, when in actuality, we could all get along if everyone just agreed that we were all equal. It's like racism except it's...mutationism..."

"But we could crush those humans anytime we wanted to," Toad said.

"Why does everyone want to make a fight out of this?" Julie said, getting exasperated. She didn't notice, but the others in the room saw the cupboards begin to rattle.

Pietro leaned over and whispered to Lance, "That's not you, is it?"

Lance shook his head.

"I mean, I just don't see why everyone can't get along! This whole idea that we have to battle out to see who's the superior species is so stupid! Sure, the humans are just as bad, but we don't need to make it worse!" Julie's fists were clenched, and the table and chairs in the middle of the room slowly began to lift off the floor.

"Whoa, sorry, didn't mean to strike a nerve," Toad said.

Julie blinked, as if she were opening her eyes and saw that the whole room was nearly shaking. She unclenched her fists and took a deep breath. The room stilled. "Sorry. Sometimes I get worked up and it just takes over..."

_I have got to stop doing that!_

"Noted. Don't tick Julie off." The guys all snickered. Pietro zipped over to Julie and put an arm around her. "You just might fit in here."

_Do I want to?_


	15. Chapter 15

That night at the Xavier Institute, as everyone left the dining room, Scott lingered, hoping to talk to the professor. Professor Xavier sat at the head of the table, beside Ororo Munroe and Hank McCoy. Logan was out somewhere doing his survivor man workout, probably spearing animals with those claws of his. The professor saw Scott waiting for him and motioned for him to approach.

"What is it, Scott?" Professor Xavier asked.

"Professor, I was wondering if Cerebro had picked up any new mutants today?" Scott asked.

"Not to my knowledge. Why do you ask?"

"There's a new girl at school, staying at the Brotherhood House. She essentially outed herself as a mutant to the entire cafeteria during lunch."

"Very daring," Ororo commented.

"Indeed," Hank said. "Sounds like Brotherhood material to me."

"She just doesn't seem like the type to stay there," Scott said. "There's something about her that seems...like she's hiding something, but I can't tell what."

"Well, she may not have used her powers yet, so Cerebro hasn't had a chance to pick her up yet. I'm sure it will soon. But in the meantime, go ahead and keep an eye on her. Maybe invite her over sometime." Scott nodded and was about to walk away when the professor added, "Oh, and what is her name?"

"Julie Summers," Scott replied. "No relations to me though, I swear."

Professor Xavier stared at Scott for a moment, then nodded. He didn't notice the three adults shocked faces. Once he was out of the dining room, Hank said, "Charles, could it be?"

Professor Xavier shook his head. "I don't know. I thought...I thought she would be at Hogwarts."

"But that is her name. Jessica and David's girl," Ororo said. "It has to be her."

"We can't be certain until we meet the girl," Xavier said. "If it's true though...why wouldn't she come here? She has to know her parents were once one of the X-Men."

"She was only two when Jessica and David were killed. Maybe she doesn't know."

"Regardless," Charles said, "if she is Jessica and David's daughter, then she belongs here. Jessica and David were a part of our family. They would want her here."

"But what about the brother?" Ororo asked. "Where is he?"

"No idea. So far as I know, he didn't obtain the X gene, so Cerebro can't find him. I've tried before, but got nowhere." Charles Xavier sighed. "We should have reached out to her sooner, but her uncle made it clear he didn't want her coming to Institute. He thought it would lead her to the one who killed her parents."

"It was never proved," Hank said. "As much as we all wanted to blame him, there was never any proof that he actually killed Jessica and David."

"Yes, but even if he didn't do it, he knows who did," Ororo said.

"Well, her uncle seems to think that she would become intent on finding out who it was. We shall have to wait and see. Hopefully one of the students can manage to bring her by; I don't want to immediately question her, but maybe we can talk to her."


End file.
